Kathryn, For the Very Last Time...
by CyberMum
Summary: Another challenge: Write a story for the title "Kathryn, for the very last time."


KATHRYN, FOR THE VERY LAST TIME...

** KATHRYN, FOR THE VERY LAST TIME...**

  
_August wrote: In the spirit of things, I have now a new challenge for you all. I was amazed at how many wonderful stories were inspired by the coffee challenge, so I'm hoping this will maybe do the same. Write a story for the title "Kathryn, for the very last time."_

  
**"Kathyrn, for the very last time...."  
by Cybermum**

  
"Kathryn, for the very last time, come to bed..." He smiled as he said it. He said it every night. 

It had become one of their small jokes. One of their little catch phrases. He said it in exasperation, and with love. In frustration and with resignation. And in elation that he could say it at all. 

He grinned again as she nodded vaguely in his direction and continued to read from one of the many PADDs that were scattered on the coffee table in their quarters. 

"Kathryn, for the very last time, take an hour off..." He had realized early on in their relationship that he was going to have to have to share her with a crew of 148. And a ship that seemed more demanding of her time than a small child. (Now there was a thought worth examining later.) 

"I will Chakotay, but I promised Ensign Alder that I would have a look at results of the torpedo tracing programme that she's been working on." 

It wasn't that she didn't care for him. He knew for certain that she loved him. Because he knew that Kathryn Janeway would never, ever have embarked upon this relationship had she been not been absolutely sure of that. His eyes crinkled at the memory of Kathryn, his strong, stubborn, independent, mesmerizing captain who had come to him, suddenly, in the middle of the night. She had over-ridden his entry codes, stomped into his sleeping quarters and snarled "God damn it, Chakotay, I can't do this. I won't do this. I mustn't do this. You've made me crazy." He had taken one look at her, standing in front of him, arms crossed defensively across her chest, and had very calmly gotten out of bed, gathered her into his arms and held her until she stopped shaking. He had then proceeded to show her how she could do this. And how Voyager did not stop dead in space and the crew all fall down in shock when she did. 

"Kathryn, for the very last time, eat something..." He had been looking out for her almost from the moment he had come aboard. She seemed to inspire that in people. He didn't ever remember encountering a crew so protective of its captain. Hadn't he himself promised to stay by her side and ease her burdens. 

He had quickly and happily taken on the role of her caregiver, because he had realized very early on that Kathryn Janeway, for all her bravado, for all that appearance of being as strong as reinforced steel, was as fragile as the petals of the roses that he cultivated in the airponics bay. 

"Kathryn, for the very last time, you drink too much of that stuff." "Chakotay, if I didn't drink so much of this stuff you wouldn't be able to spend more than five minutes in my company. It's what's kept me sane and this crew safe for the last six years. It's probably me from throwing you out of an airlock at least twice and..." the words had trailed off as he removed the cup from her hand and bent to kiss her coffee flavoured lips. "And..." She pulled back for a moment and flashed him a decidedly wicked smile "...it keeps me awake." 

"Kathryn, for the very last time, they can manage..." She was a 'hands on' captain, for certain. She often said that if the captain wouldn't do something, why should her crew. She took great pride in her crew. She often said that they were the best of the best. But he had been trying to teach her to let go. 

"But what if the co-ordinates that the Xornon sent us need to be re- calibrated...." 

"Kathryn you've taught them well. You know Harry Kim can manage a shift in the'big chair'. And it's not as if you're leaving the ship. You're just taking a few hours off." 

"Kathryn, for the very last time, step back..." She was as protective of her crew as a tigress of her young. When they didn't live up to her expectations she was devastated. Shattered. She immersed herself in each crisis as it arose; every situation seemed to demand her equal and undivided attention. 

She was opinionated, obstinate, and had a tendency to race into situations without thinking things all the way through. But she could be counted upon to listen, eventually. And to see the other side of the argument when it was presented. And she had been known to change her mind. Thank the spirits. 

"Kathryn, for the very last time...." 

Kathryn carefully placed the PADD back on the pile in front of her. She stood up and stretched gracefully. As she moved towards him she smiled seductively. 

"For the very last time, Chakotay?" 

  


  
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